Apple rumored to be planning new European data center in the Netherlands
European Apple customers may soon be slurping down data from a new state-of-the-art datacenter as the company is rumored to be eyeing a site near other tech titans in the Dutch seaport of Eemshaven.
Apple's Maiden, NC datacenter
Apple's infrastructure team is believed to have been focused on the region as a possible expansion location for some time, according to a report from iPhoneClub.nl. The project, code named "Saturn," could bring as many as 200 new jobs to the area.
Eemshaven is a seaport in the Netherlands' Groningen province which has recently become a popular destination for international technology companies seeking an infrastructural foothold in Europe. The port is home to numerous power generating stations, including a 156-megawatt wind farm, and is also the landing point for a high-capacity transatlantic fiber optic cable managed by India's Tata Communications.
Search giant Google currently operates a 10,000 square meter facility in Eemshaven, and Microsoft has begun construction on a similarly-sized datacenter of its own in the area. Microsoft's new datacenter, which is thought to be representative of the type of facility Apple would construct, is being built at a cost of ?2 billion ($2.7 billion).
Apple has been on a datacenter construction spree of late. The company completed a $1 billion facility in Maiden, North Carolia in 2012, and is currently in the process of opening similar sites in Prineville, Oregon and Reno, Nevada.
Apple will reportedly make a final decision on whether to officially add the Eemshaven site to its roster by the end of the year.
Apple's Maiden, NC datacenter
Apple's infrastructure team is believed to have been focused on the region as a possible expansion location for some time, according to a report from iPhoneClub.nl. The project, code named "Saturn," could bring as many as 200 new jobs to the area.
Eemshaven is a seaport in the Netherlands' Groningen province which has recently become a popular destination for international technology companies seeking an infrastructural foothold in Europe. The port is home to numerous power generating stations, including a 156-megawatt wind farm, and is also the landing point for a high-capacity transatlantic fiber optic cable managed by India's Tata Communications.
Search giant Google currently operates a 10,000 square meter facility in Eemshaven, and Microsoft has begun construction on a similarly-sized datacenter of its own in the area. Microsoft's new datacenter, which is thought to be representative of the type of facility Apple would construct, is being built at a cost of ?2 billion ($2.7 billion).
Apple has been on a datacenter construction spree of late. The company completed a $1 billion facility in Maiden, North Carolia in 2012, and is currently in the process of opening similar sites in Prineville, Oregon and Reno, Nevada.
Apple will reportedly make a final decision on whether to officially add the Eemshaven site to its roster by the end of the year.
Comments
What are 15 all of a sudden?
Best.
"...slurping down data..."
What are 15 all of a sudden?
Best.
15 what? I don't see 15 of anything in the article.
With all the iTunes / iBooks / iCloud / iTunesU global expansion, I imagine they need stronger European data presence.
With all the iTunes / iBooks / iCloud / iTunesU global expansion, I imagine they need stronger European data presence.
Absolutely. Asia included. Wasn't there a rumor some time last year that Apple was building a datacenter in Hong Kong?
Can I have my Apple data stored there? I definitely don't want it stored on an Apple server located in the good'ol NS of A...I mean US of A.
I'm sure once they have all these data centers up and running, you'll be able to go into the iCloud System Pref and change the location of your iCloud data via a pop-up menu.
Make perfect sense for Apple et al to have european presence to capture a large market who do not want to be exposed to that.
That is ridiculous. Even Exchange Server automatically moves a users' database to the office he frequents the most. Setting a preference like this is very unlike Apple. This will be moved automatically, no doubt.
why would any European company want its data stored on an american server? Whereby the company hosting the data cant tell you if the US gov wants to have a look, yet they have to tell you to be compliant with EU law.
Make perfect sense for Apple et al to have european presence to capture a large market who do not want to be exposed to that.
Not sure if you got the point of what I said but yes, I agree whole-heartedly.
That is ridiculous. Even Exchange Server automatically moves a users' database to the office he frequents the most. Setting a preference like this is very unlike Apple. This will be moved automatically, no doubt.
Yeah, I know, I was kidding
why would any European company want its data stored on an american server? Whereby the company hosting the data cant tell you if the US gov wants to have a look, yet they have to tell you to be compliant with EU law.
Make perfect sense for Apple et al to have european presence to capture a large market who do not want to be exposed to that.
Not sure if you got the point of what I said but yes, I agree whole-heartedly.
If it is an american-owned company it is still subject to US laws, including gagging orders so it is not a relevant question where the data is actually located.
Please, people ,
stop being naive and do some real thinking. The US government can, and will, force the US Mother company to do whatever they wish irrespective of where the data are located.
I'm sure once they have all these data centers up and running, you'll be able to go into the iCloud System Pref and change the location of your iCloud data via a pop-up menu.
I doubt it. Most global companies with multiple data centers use them as back ups for one another. Just part of strategic redundancy and load balancing and it is all automated. They are not going to give you that type of granular control because it would disrupt their efficiency as well as affect timely transmission of your data. Probably the only way you could ever have control over where your cloud storage is located is to roll your own or use a small regional data center that has only a single continent presence. Perhaps some data centers make special concessions for governmental agencies and such, but not very likely they would do that for average citizens.
This is a good move. I am surprised they didn't do it sooner.
Quote:
If it is an american-owned company it is still subject to US laws, including gagging orders so it is not a relevant question where the data is actually located.
Please, people ,
stop being naive and do some real thinking. The US government can, and will, force the US Mother company to do whatever they wish irrespective of where the data are located.
The facility would likely be owned by an Apple subsidiary located in Europe. Quite likely in Ireland. The data would be subject to European data protection legislation. If European branches of US companies are ever caught breaching EU legislation on data protection, at the behest of the US government, there would be serious repercussions I would imagine.
This is a good move. I am surprised they didn't do it sooner.
Quote:
If it is an american-owned company it is still subject to US laws, including gagging orders so it is not a relevant question where the data is actually located.
Please, people ,
stop being naive and do some real thinking. The US government can, and will, force the US Mother company to do whatever they wish irrespective of where the data are located.
The facility would likely be owned by an Apple subsidiary located in Europe. Quite likely in Ireland. The data would be subject to European data protection legislation. If European branches of US companies are ever caught breaching EU legislation on data protection, at the behest of the US government, there would be serious repercussions I would imagine.
Your imagination is not the most important point. You might like to wise up on EU Data Protection laws. You could start with Irish Data Protection law, follow up on Dutch and look at the penalties involved in each jurisdiction. You may end up changing your view when you actually know the facts. One question you could ask is what is the highest penalty ever for data protection violation in the two jurisdictions.
You might also find that the risks to a us company for violating a US national security letter will be orders of magnitude greater than the penalties in any EU country for privacy law violations ... even if these could be proven in court, which is by no means a certainty.
It makes no difference what most think, but to comply with pending and future EU regulations it will become a necessity for data to remain locally. In this case, a datacenter, Cloud if you wish, in The Netherlands will cover the requirement for The European Union.
If it is an american-owned company it is still subject to US laws, including gagging orders so it is not a relevant question where the data is actually located.
Please, people ,
stop being naive and do some real thinking. The US government can, and will, force the US Mother company to do whatever they wish irrespective of where the data are located.
Tell that to MS.
http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/22/5335434/microsoft-offers-overseas-data-storage-in-response-to-nsa-concerns
If it is an american-owned company it is still subject to US laws, including gagging orders so it is not a relevant question where the data is actually located.
Please, people ,
stop being naive and do some real thinking. The US government can, and will, force the US Mother company to do whatever they wish irrespective of where the data are located.
Tell that to MS.
http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/22/5335434/microsoft-offers-overseas-data-storage-in-response-to-nsa-concerns
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/igeneration/microsoft-admits-patriot-act-can-access-eu-based-cloud-data/11225
Remember .. I did say that people should stop being so incredibly naive ! There is NO PROTECTION that any US company can offer against data snooping by US Authorities anywhere in the world.
I might perhaps add that I was personally involved in contract negotiation with the company referred to in the link above. I personally raised this issue in the negotiation several years ago, and I have the actual contracts on file. The real situation is accurately described in the statement from M$. What anybody choses to believe is their own business. The facts are on the table.
Your imagination is not the most important point. You might like to wise up on EU Data Protection laws. You could start with Irish Data Protection law, follow up on Dutch and look at the penalties involved in each jurisdiction. You may end up changing your view when you actually know the facts. One question you could ask is what is the highest penalty ever for data protection violation in the two jurisdictions.
You might also find that the risks to a us company for violating a US national security letter will be orders of magnitude greater than the penalties in any EU country for privacy law violations ... even if these could be proven in court, which is by no means a certainty.
I meant political repercussions and the commercial consequences such actions would have on consumer attitudes towards the US companies that breached the privacy of their data. The US is already skating on thin ice with Merkel and the presidents of most South American countries. Anything as serious as the US government forcing US companies to break the laws of other countries is not going to be met with just mild rebuke.
Your imagination is not the most important point. You might like to wise up on EU Data Protection laws. You could start with Irish Data Protection law, follow up on Dutch and look at the penalties involved in each jurisdiction. You may end up changing your view when you actually know the facts. One question you could ask is what is the highest penalty ever for data protection violation in the two jurisdictions.
You might also find that the risks to a us company for violating a US national security letter will be orders of magnitude greater than the penalties in any EU country for privacy law violations ... even if these could be proven in court, which is by no means a certainty.
I meant political repercussions and the commercial consequences such actions would have on consumer attitudes towards the US companies that breached the privacy of their data. The US is already skating on thin ice with Merkel and the presidents of most South American countries. Anything as serious as the US government forcing US companies to break the laws of other countries is not going to be met with just mild rebuke.
Agree. But that is already happening. Frankly you have to be insane to trust any American Company when it comes to security and privacy issues. It is quite evident to me from the conversations with a wide range of people at work and privately that there is a fundamental and growing mistrust of America in Germany. It started with the Irak War under Bush senior and has progressively spread through wide sectors of society. When companies like M$ and Apple pretend they knew nothing about the NSA Prism and other programs then people here simply don't believe them at all. But it gets worse .. the backdooring of US technology products and the subversion of encryption technology have made a lot of companies start to look for ways to protect themselves against the US .. and they are beginning to regard the US as just as much a cybersecurity risk as China. I know for a fact that the company I am working for is already looking at ways of protecting their IP and other confidential information against the US/UK as much as against China.
The fact is that once a "friend" has betrayed the trust you place(d) in them, they will never regain it. It takes more that PR campaigns to regain trust once it has been lost. For a High-tech company to pretend "we didn't know" is ridiculous. It may be true .. but then it is criminally negligent and naive.
Agree on everything. I don't use cloud anything and The NSA's claims they don't spy on western businesses and pass on commercially useful information to their own is not credible. Boeing/EADS bidding being one example.